Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome Cd for Those Who Love Solo Piano, January 4, 2004
This is an awesome CD! I play piano myself and love listening to pianists who compose their own straight - solo - piano, and Ms. Matsui has created an OUTSTANDING MASTERPIECE in this cd! A friend, who also plays and composes for the piano - heard this cd playing and was also intriqued. He thanked me profusely after I gave him a copy for Christmas and he had listened to it. He thinks its awesome, too. I would compare Matsui's music to Kostia, another artist who writes for the piano. (If you like this cd, check out Kostia's cd's, too.) I have listened to Matsui's other cd's and, to my disappointment, find they are mostly highly electronic and orchestrated. I WISH Ms. Matsui would do more SOLO PIANO cds. In my opinion, it is more impressive to have solo piano and have it sound this good. There are so many artists out there today who are producing new age cd's with so much orchestration. Ms. Matsui is a rare and unique talent whether doing music with accompaniment or not, I hope she will do more solo piano works. She is a stand out. If you love solo piano, you must listen to this cd! The music is phenomenal.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Incredible - 5 stars -No repackaging here, November 23, 2003
Whenever a new Keiko Matsui album comes out, I can hardly wait to get it home to start peeling the wrapping off. And the moment it slips into the machine, I am swept away with the incredible emotional quality of her music. Having seen her live, I know she is an incredible musician, but often her talent on the keyboards is hidden by the simple sound of her music that is actually fairly complex in its implementation. They say that in order for it to look easy, it takes a lot of hard work, and such is very true for Keiko."Piano" is an incredible change of pace for this talented composer. In a way, this album is like what older artists do once in a while, and that is go back to their roots. The synthesized music enhances her songs, but hearing them played expertly and simply on the piano - wow! It's like listening to a new song. "Doll" and "Whisper from the Mirror" are both favorites of mine, and to hear them played this way with all the "excess" gone, they are even more wonderful than before. I have a new perspective on the songs. And a new appreciation and respect for Keiko's talent. Sometimes artists get so caught up in all the "fill" to make them sound cooler or better, and few pay attention to the detail in the straight composition. My husband, who introduced me to Keiko's music over ten years ago, loves this album and we play it during dinner and quiet times frequently. I'm going to give it as a Holiday present this year for several friends who will love this. This is truly a showcase CD for Keiko, revealing all her talents.
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12 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Another collection of repackaged old tracks, May 12, 2003
On the heels of a repackaging assortment of Keiko's older works, aptly named Collection (and barely two years old), here comes another compilation of old tracks, now titles Piano. This time, however, they're all played on piano (no lead synthesizer parts), and are rearranged with more acoustic, philarmonic support parties, which give the familiar works a more somber, classic sound. Less New Age, more Chamber touch. Insidentally, however, it makes some tracks lose their poignance. As an example, Presence of the Moon doesn't sound as brooding anymore, and Whisper From The Mirror sounds much more abstract and quite less mysterious. Which may be a good thing for Keiko Matsui's chronologists and critics, with some new inerpretations of the great old works to chew on, but in my own humble opinion, the original works sounded better. I just wish Keiko came up with some new material that wouldn't disappoint as much as most recent The Ring album!!
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Interact With Your Music: Discover, listen to, and buy new music, all from the pages of SPIN's digital edition, free to Amazon customers.
by Keiko Matsui 
